The Lord of the Rings Read-Along – Bidding Farewell to Bilbo

Those of us participating in the Read-Along have moved on to The Fellowship of the Ring but since Eva of A Striped Armchair, our host for The Hobbit, posted a few last questions, I thought it would be a good time to bid adieu to Bilbo.

Did you find the book’s second half consistent to the first, in tone, plotting, etc.?

What did you think of the ending?

Did your view of any character change since our last check-in?

What surprised you most in this half of the book?

What delighted you most?

Can you see yourself rereading The Hobbit some day?

Are you planning on continuing on to The Fellowship of the Ring?

Would you say that doing a group read enriched your reading? Anything in particular written by a fellow participant that stands out?

The Hobbit

Did you find the book’s second half consistent to the first, in tone, plotting, etc.? Yes and no. I find the first half of the book so much more fun than the second. The idea of going on an adventure and laughing as Bilbo trots out of the house without a handkerchief is amusing and I want to run out and join him. I expect the adventure to get dark and dangerous for the travelers but somehow when the elves are introduced, some of the, what’s the word I’m looking for, well, they just seems to suck the fun out of it. I do find joy in the story again when Bilbo starts another riddle game with Smaug.

What did you think of the ending? I love when Bilbo comes home to find everyone in the Shire and beyond rifling through his things and claiming them as their own. It’s the last thing you would want to come home to. And, maybe I’m wrong here but I don’t remember anyone welcoming Bilbo home. They were surprised by his return but no one was happy about it. Who would be if they thought they would be moving into his cozy hobbit hole. 🙂

Did your view of any character change since our last check-in? No, I still have a long and enduring love for Bilbo. Although, I found I liked the elves less than I remembered. I know I like them in the subsequent books but here I kind of felt put off by them. I’m not sure why.

What surprised you most in this half of the book? What delighted you most? Smaug was a delight. I don’t remember liking him so much but here he was this lovely, old, dragon to be admired and feared. My biggest surprise — I didn’t particularly care for the fact that a human kills him. Somehow it seems like it should be a creature of legend and not a human, who up till this point in the story, played no actual part. Can you tell I’m a bit annoyed by that. 😉

Can you see yourself rereading The Hobbit some day? Yes. 🙂

Are you planning on continuing on to The Fellowship of the Ring? Yes. 🙂

Would you say that doing a group read enriched your reading? I think it has. Each time I’ve read and re-read these books I’ve done it alone. There are always people, at least in my circle of friends, that have read the books and would be willing to discuss, but since I’m the only one re-reading the books, it’s not an easy topic to squeeze in. The opportunity to read what others found interesting enriched the reading and in many ways made me look at the story differently. I enjoyed that immensely.

I’m sad when Bilbo finds everyone going through his things. It’s like when poor Odysseus finally makes it back to Ithaca, and it’s all overrun with Penelope’s suitors. Why can’t they come home to peace and quiet?